Heater for automobiles



s. H. CREIGHTON.

HEATER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION men SEPT. 25, 1918.

Paiemeti Nov. 23, 1920.)

UNITED STATES PATENT omen.

SAMUEL H. GREIGHTQN, 0F- INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

HEATER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NQV. 23 .1920

Application filed September 25," 1918. Serial No. $55,628.

tain new and useful Heaterfor Automobiles; and Tdo liereby declare that the followin is a full, clear, and exact description t ereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts.

The object of this invention is the improvement of "heaters or foot warmers for automobiles, aeroplanes and other vehicles which are heated from the exhaust of the en ine.

ne feature of the invention consists in a heater formed of three metal elements or plates and a fire proof sheet of insulating material upon the top of the base or bottom plate, the intermediate plate separating the air and heat chambers and bein bent or grooved to form, in association wit the bottom plate, conduits for thepassage of the heated gas and to form a relatively great heating surface. Said intermediate plate is grooved longitudinally of the heater between the sides of the conduit to present a relatively reat amount of surface to the heat in said conduit to make'the heater act quickly and be effective.

Another featureof the invention consists in the formation of the heater by a plurality of layers of plates with a fire proof sheet of insulating material lining for the base or bottom plate, the edges of said plates being secured together air tight and preferably by the edge of one plate over-lapping and being tightly crimped or welded into engagement with the edges of the other plates.

Another feature of the invention consists in perforatin the sides of the heater and the top thereo so that air will enter through the side openings and carry air through the top openings and prevent any pocket or dead chamber where the air or the like ceases to circulate or move. vice a constant circulation of air coming out of the top of the device is maintained automatically.

The foregoing and other novel features of this invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings, the following description and claims:

Inthe drawing Figure 1 is a perspective With this de-.

view of'a portion of the interior of an automobile body showing the heater and associated parts in place, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the heater and associated parts, parts being broken in Fig. 1 with the heater 11 in place on the heel board of the seat, but it is understood that said heater can he placed on the toe board or on the floor or built in the floor, if

desired.. The heater 11 is supplied with heated gas through the flexible tube 12 which leads from the exhaust pipe 13 of the engine, not shown, of the automobile. When the heater is in operation the heated gas is deflected from the exhaust pipe 13 through the tube 12 and heater 11.

The construction of the heater is indicated in Figs. 2, 3 and 1. It is made of sheet metal elements or plates forming the top 15 the bottom 16 and intermediate plate 17 and the inner surface of the bottom platerlfi is lined with a sheet of heatinsulatlng material 18. The bottom plate is flat as is also the sheet of insulating material 18 and they extend the full width of the heater. The intermedh ate sheet 17 is of the same width and length as the other parts but is crimped to form the grooves or passages shown and hereinafter explained. Its lateral portions extend down and lie flat upon the edges of the plates 18 and 16. The top plate is the shape of an inverted pan, the body of it lying above the intermediate portion and out of contact, and the lateral portions extend down to form a compartment and the edge is U-shaped to form a head which surrounds, overlaps and clamps or crimps the edges of all other plates tightly together so as to make a as tight joint,'the member 18 serving as a gas et or packing.

With this construction there is a gas chamber 20 between the intermediate plate and the bottom plate and a hot air chamber 21 between the intermediate plate and the top plate. There are perforations 22 in the top of the top plate for the outlet of the heated air and there are perforations 23 in the side walls of the top plate through which air isadmitted into the heating chamber. The

outside air enters the chamber 21 through the side perforations 23 and is heated by the intermediate plate 17 and then passes up through the outlet openings 22. Without the. side openings 23, the hot air chamber 21 is, to a great degree dead, as there is nothing to create currents of air through it to be heated in their passage.

The intermediate plate 17 which heats the air in air chamber 21, is so formed as to have a relatively great surface both for receiving heat on the under side and transmitting heat on the upper side thereof, and it is so formed in combination with the bottom of the heater that it forms a tortuous conduit from the supply pipe 12 to the outlet 25. These two objects are accomplished by bending the intermediate plate so as to'form large ribs 30 whichengage the bottom of the chamber so as to form the tortuous conduit 31 as seen in Fig. 4:, leading from the inlet 12 to the other end of the device and back to the first named end and then to the outlet 25. But to still further increase the heating surface, the intermediate plate is wrinkled down longitudinally to form the downwardly extending ribs 32 and which extend about half way from. the intermediate plate to the bottom of the heating chamber, and intermediate the sides of the conduit 31 so as to form a double conduit as shown. in Figs. 2 and 3. The right hand. rib 30 shown in Fig. 3 does not extend entirely to the end of the heater and the left hand rib 30 does not extend entirely to the other end of the heater so as to leave transverse openingsto make the conduit 31 as shown in Fig. d. One outside rib 32 does not extend entirely to the end of the heater where the inlet 12 is located and the other outside rib 32 does not extend'entirely to the other end of the heater at the outlet 25 so as to leave small chambers at the inlet and outlet. The bottom walletthe heating chamber is formed of insulating material 18 so that the-bottom 16 is not heated and no heat is lost.

When it is desired. tones the .heater the cable 40 is pulled, it extending from the bracket 4:]. on the seat, around the pulley 42 connected with the enhaust pipe 13, to a valve lever 43 which controls a valve (not shown) in the tubular neck te which. receivesthe end of the tube 12 adiacent the heater, so as to opensaid valve. he valve is closed by the spring at which extends from the valve lever 43 to a collar &5 on the pipe 13.

To enable the valve to be attached to pipes 13 of various diameters the tubular neck 4C3 to which the, end of tube 12 is connected is carriedby a clamp 45 which surrounds the tube 13 and has two long ears-t7 that are brought together and. secured by a bolt 48. These ears have 'a number of holes or slots 49 in them so that the clamp will be adaptable to pipes of various sizes. The pipe 13 has a ranged to form a compartment and an intermediate plate separating the compartessence with the tube 12 through the neck 43.

The foregoing explains what is deemed to be the pre erred form of said invention as to details, but the invention is not intended to be'limited to such details.

The invention claimed is:

1. A heater of the character described formed of top and bottom outside plates arment into a heating chamber and. a hot air chamber, the intermediate plate having ribs for forming a circuitous assage through the heater, one of said outside plates having its edge overlapping-and crimping or clamping the edges of the other plates for crimp ing or clamping the edges of the plates together in an air tight joint.

2. A heater of the character described formed of top and bottom outside plates arranged to form a compartment and an intermediate plate separating the compartment into a heating chamber and a hot air chamber, the intermediate plate having ribs for forming a circuitous passage through the heater, and a sheet of insulating material lining the bottom plate, the edge of one of said outside plates over-lapping and crimping or clamping together the edges of the other plates and the sheet of insulating ma terial to form an air tight joint.

3. A heater of the class described including top and bottom members arranged to form a compartment and an intermediate plate for separating said compartment into a heating chamber and a hot air chamber, said intermediate plate having longitudinally extending ribs engaging the bottom members, the alternate ends of said ribs terminating a distance from the edges of the intermediate plateto provide openings for forming a tortuous conduit in the heat ing chamber for the passage of heating elements through the chamber.

1. A heater of the class described incluch ing top and bottom members forming a compartment and an intermediate plate for separating the compartmentinto a heating.

chamber and a hot air'chamber, said intermessa e 6. A heater of the class described including top and bottom members and an intermediate plate for separating the space between the top and bottom members into a heating chamber and a hot air chamber, portions of said intermediate plate being depressed to form ribs, said intermediate plate having additional depressions of less depth than the depressions forming the ribs for increasing the heating capacity of the conduit formed by the ribs.

7 A heater of the class described including top and bottom members and an intermediate plate for separating the space hetween the top and bottom members into a heating chamber and a hot air chamber, said plate being preferably formed of sheet metal and having parts thereof bent downwardly longitudinally of the plate to form ribs,

which ribs rest upon the bottom member and divide the heating chamber into conduits, said intermediate plate havin other depressions of less depth than t e depressions formed by the ribs for increasing the heating capacity of the heating chamber.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

SAMUEL H. GREIGHTON. 

